The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry has released a statement in connection with events in Belarus where protests have been going on for a week after the presidential election.
According to the statement posted on the ministry's website, the official election results "do not inspire confidence in Belarusian society." The ministry also added that Ukraine generally shares the position of the European Union.
The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry expressed concern over the brutality of security forces against protesters, journalists and foreigners.
"Ukraine is extremely concerned about the cases of unjustified brutality of law enforcement officers against citizens participating in the protests, media representatives and foreigners," the statement said.
Ukrainian diplomats called on the Belarusian leadership "not to allow further political persecution of its opponents and Belarusian citizens who took to the streets to demonstrate their position."
"We expect the release of some detainees from custody to be the beginning of a dialogue between the authorities and civil society in order to find compromises," the statement said.
After the presidential election in Belarus on August 9, people went out en masse to protest against the rigging of voting results. They support Alexander Lukashenko's main rival, Svetlana Tikhanovskaya, who they say defeated the incumbent by a wide margin.
The rallies are accompanied by violence by security forces and detentions. Some protesters were killed.
On August 14, the Central Election Commission of Belarus declared Lukashenko, who has ruled the country since 1994, the winner of the election. According to the CEC, he garnered 80.08% of the vote, whereas Tikhanovskaya collected 10.09%.